My ‘Truth,’ Your ‘Truth,’ & ‘The Truth’

Dealing with Accusations Biblically

By David Strope

Life was simpler when I was a child in the 1960s. No PlayStations, iPads, or computers. My brothers and I, when bored, were shooed outdoors by a caring mother to play. My three brothers and a few neighbor boys would gather our ball gloves, bats, and balls, choosing sides and mimicking the exploits of major league ballplayers in our ragtag baseball game. When it was my turn in the batter’s box, the PA announcer, Bob Shepherd, intoned, “Now batting for the New York Yankees, Mickey Mantle, number 7.”

Our games, however, inevitably degenerated into arguments and conflict, the neighbor boys often stomping home in anger. The problem? The batter was the umpire! And, unlike my hero Mickey, I never struck out!

Baseball without an umpire is chaos. Society with no umpire is similarly chaotic. “Little truths” compete, with the Truth sidelined. My “truth” trumps your “truth,” because it is mine and I sincerely feel it!

Contemporary culture is roiling with accusations hurled against politicians and preachers, employers and employees alike. These dramas play out on stages large and small. Accusations are lodged, the truth of which seems to be determined only by the general plausibility of the scenario and the sincerity of the accuser.